February 2, 2014 was the day that decided whether or not our season got to continue or if it ended right then and there. Around 6:30 that morning at the high school we were getting ready to go, stretching and warming up our stunts to make sure they hit. With our hair and makeup already done we were ready to compete. But while we were putting up our stunts I started to get worried. Not everything was solid and consistent or really even to the best of our abilities and what we know we’re capable of. It seemed like our minds just weren’t in it.
At practice the Saturday morning the day before we competed we weren’t all emotionally there. We practiced as if we had wanted the season to be over and that we didn’t want that state title. But the way we behaved at practice, even our coach was nervous for competition the next day and couldn’t see the team that we were at practice qualifying for states. Our coach and every single person on our team knew that we were better than what we had been doing all morning at practice. Stunts were falling, motions we sloppy, and our attitudes were horrible. But by the end of practice we finally snapped into the right attitude and we showed that winning that state title is possible for our team. We had finally started to practice as if the competition tomorrow could decide whether or not our dreams of going to states again this year would become reality.
Once we were finished warming up the morning of competition we loaded the bus. For some people the nerves were starting to set in but for others, like me, the nerves don’t hit until it’s time to preform. When we finally got to Dublin Jerome we headed to the warm up room to set down our bags and saw that we were the first team there. When it was time for us to start stretching and walk through our routine almost all the teams who competed that day had arrived. We stretched, did kicks, and while we started walking through the routine multiple teams were watching us.
When we were done running through the routine we got in line to go to the warm up mats. Once it was our turn on the first warm up mat we threw up our stunts and after that, the worries of qualifying went away. Our stunts hit like we finally realized that today is the day we have to do the best routine we’ve done yet this season. We were a whole different team since the day before at practice but in a good way. We finally looked like a team that was ready to compete and win that state title! After we did all of our stunts the tumblers started to warm up their passes. Then it was our turn to go onto the larger warm up mat to run the routine full out without the stunts that hit.
On the bigger warm up mat we ran through our routine with no stunts at all. We had to make sure our bodies didn’t get too tired before we had to go out and compete. After our time was up, we got in line to go out on the floor. Our entire warm up had gone better than it had that morning at the school so I wasn’t nearly as nervous. We had a few teams still in front of us who still had to go out so we waited for probably a good 20 minutes or so. Then when we were in line ready to go next the nerves finally hit. What if all the stunts don’t hit? What if the tumbling doesn’t land right? What if we look sloppy? What if we don’t even qualify? So many things were running through my head and next thing I knew it was our turn to go out and perform our routine.
After that performance I had no doubt left in my mind that we weren’t going to qualify. We did so much better than I think any of us thought we would! We had a stunt that didn’t hit completely but they got back up and finished what they could, a few touchdowns in the tumbling, and some other little dings but surprisingly the things most of us were worried about hitting did hit! After we performed we had to wait a while until they announced who qualified for
